Sure, Liam Neeson may have battle against the Caped Crusader in “Batman Begins”, but let’s see him handle a pack of wolves.

Deadline is reporting that Director Joe Carnahan has received a green light to start production on his original screenplay “The Grey”. The story follows a crew of oil-rig roughnecks led by Neeson and left stranded by a plane crash right in the hunting zone of a pack of rogue wolves on the frozen Alaskan tundra.

“The wolves have a territorial range of 300 miles, and they will run you out if you cross that,” says Carnahan. “If you’re within 30 miles of their den as is the case here, they will try to kill you. It’s simple arithmetic, but it creates an opportunity for one of those man vs. nature movies I love like Deliverance and Touching The Void.”

Many in the Deadline comments have called “bullshit” on this statement — saying that it’s a massive exaggeration of a wolf pack’s nature. Others hilariously declared that Sarah Palin was a likely ghost writer on the script. Either way, I can’t see this film being a great vehicle for wolf conservation programs. Look for it sometime late next year.

Get Ecorazzi in your inbox, once a week:

About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

I’ve lived in Alaska over 40 years now and have encountered wolves in the wild well within a 100 yards of their den, if not closer. All they did was sit and watch as I dressed out a caribou I had taken, knowing full well they would have access to the remains when I left. I was not and did not feel in any way threatened by their presence.
Our Fish and Game personnel occasionally conduct a totally reprehensible action called “denning” wherein they locate a den of pups, go to it and using cannisters of CO2, gas the pups to death. They do not have to fend off packs of wolves while doing this and have yet to even suffer a scratch.

I don’t know where Carnahan got his information but I suspect, at best, it was off the back of a cereal box or maybe from some NRA publication. It is the biggest load of manure I have ever read about wolves, especially when you consider most villages in the Bush are well within a few miles of wolf dens.

Michael Raymer

Thank you. The quote in the article tweaked my bullshit-o-meter, but I don’t know enough about wolves to rebut.

This doesn’t sound like much of a movie (Neeson or not). But I suppose that just putting wolves on screen will help the conservation groups do their thing. Remember, a good adversary can some times do more for your cause than a room full of allies.

http://www.ecorazzi.com Michael dEstries

Thanks for that insight, Art.

Clay

What a bunch of crap. Hope the financing falls thru for this movie. Neeson is a “sellout”

http://www.herwinsvegancafe.com herwin

another great animal movie in the same category as “jaws”…
indeed, hopes the financing dont come through !

Arctos

What crap! They’ll behave like that if your another wolf perhaps (pretty territorial things they are and don’t take kind to strange wolves around in the same way you’d probably not take to kindly if a stranger barged in your house and lurked around your kids).

Biologist studying arctic wolves went right around their den and their territory the wolves would walk with them while they were on their atvs (or whatever it’s called),not one of those men got hurt or attacked.http://internationalwolfcenter.blogspot.com/

Tons of people travel to national parks around wolves and yet I’m not seeing daily reports of people getting chased out and killed. Not even gonna go into the people that…*gasp!* LIVE near and around wolves!

I know,I know it’s just a movie but he seems to be stating that behavior as fact and THAT rubs me the wrong way.